Hyundai Veloster

Hyundai combines fun and innovation in the eye-catching, sporty Veloster

The Veloster has joined the local model line-up of Hyundai – bringing a mixture of fun, innovation and attractive, sporty styling to the Korean carmaker’s range in South Africa. Packed with features and with cool looks that will attract new buyers as well as loyal brand customers, it represents a motoring package that offers great value.

The Veloster – with a new 1,6-litre direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine mated to Hyundai’s first EcoShift™ dual-clutch transmission – brings to a younger customer group a “2+1 door” coupé design with the functionality of a hatchback and a passenger-side forward-hinged rear door for easy rear-seat access.

The Veloster with its perky 1.6-litre GDI Gamma engine adds even more variety to Hyundai’s comprehensive range of models – including the other hatchbacks – the i10, i20 and i30; the recently launched all-new Santa Fe and its fellow SUV, the ix35; the Accent and Elantra sedans and their bigger sibling, the Sonata.

The Veloster delivers innovation to the compact coupé segment with its 2+1 door configuration for easy rear-seat access and is a perfect example of the company’s brand slogan: New Thinking. New Possibilities.

The 4,22 m sports-coupé Veloster is destined to give young, progressive buyers a sleek and distinctive design in an innovative three-door coupé form that provides practicality as well as driving pleasure. Hyundai expects the Veloster’s unique combination of style, practicality and economy to attract new buyers to the brand.

Design inspired by nature

The Veloster represents the next evolution of the Hyundai’s unique design language, “fluidic sculpture”. This Hyundai design DNA is recognizable by flowing lines inspired by nature which combine to create an innovative form, underpinned by strong proportions and a sense of movement and balance.

Not only does the design of Veloster offer emotional appeal, but its fundamental aerodynamics ensure a smooth exterior profile, which reduces fuel consumption. The car’s lines are bold and dynamic, with tough-looking shapes and polished graphics. The sleek profile of Veloster conveys sportiness and a unique styling very different from existing coupés and hatchbacks.

The 2+1 door configuration for Veloster has been adapted for right-hand-drive markets, ensuring that customers not only benefit from the great practicality of the rear door that opens on the “safe” passenger side of the car, but also from high levels of occupant safety.

Inside the cabin

Despite its coupé styling (overall height is 1,39 m), clever interior packaging means the Veloster offers class-leading cabin and cargo space. It has a wheelbase of 2,65 m, and Hyundai engineers have sculpted the Veloster’s interior to provide generous interior space for its occupants. Cargo capacity in the Veloster’s boot is 440 litres.

The interior is designed to meet the demands of younger buyers. The inclusion of 60:40 folding rear seats offers a flexible luggage compartment, while high-tech gadgets and technological features are stylishly integrated within the cabin design. These elements combine to add visual appeal as well as ensuring the Veloster is a fun car in which to travel, whether behind the wheel or in the passenger seat.

The Veloster’s impressive audio system supports radio, CD, MP3 and a range of external devices thanks to an AUX, USB, iPod and Bluetooth® connectivity. The sound system displays it functions on a large LCD screen in the centre console. The steering wheel is equipped with remote controls for the sound system, as well as the controls for setting the cruise control.

Bluetooth connections with one’s mobile telephone and audio streaming via Bluetooth from the same telephone can be set up effortlessly via touch-screen commands on the same LCD information screen in the middle console. The 7-inch touch screen media centre lets you scroll easily through your music playlist or contacts from your Bluetooth connected telephone.

Automatic Climate Control is also easy to configure on the LCD screen, where an image of the car with the chosen settings are shown.

Powertrain

The Hyundai Veloster is powered by a lively, efficient 1,6-litre four-cylinder GDI petrol engine, generating 103 kW maximum power and 167 Nm torque. Buyers will be offered a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or the company’s first dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

This dual dry clutch transmission is Hyundai’s own, in-house developed gearbox which features two shafts – one with first, third and fifth gear, and the other with second, fourth and sixth gear. As one changes gears up or down, the clutches alternate to engage the relevant shaft for feeding the power from the engine to the front wheels.

The new DCT builds on the benefits of a manual gearbox, including low fuel consumption and engaging driving characteristics, by adding the advantages of a traditional automatic transmission, such as high comfort levels (particularly during city driving), and super-smooth shift quality. Other benefits of the DCT include a 5 to 6% improvement in fuel efficiency, as well as a 3 to 7% improvement in acceleration.

When a more sporty drive style is required, the DCT’s gear lever can be moved to the left into Sports mode where a gear will stay engaged up to higher engine revolutions before it changes, when driven in automatic mode. The driver can at any time change a gear up or down by tapping the gear lever forward or backward.

Fun to drive

The Veloster is fitted with a McPherson strut front suspension, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and a 24 mm diameter front stabilizer. The rear suspension is a light-weight V-torsion beam, a Hyundai-first with an integrated 23 mm stabilizer bar to allow bracing of the arms for greater stiffness and to further control body roll. The rear suspension also uses monotube shock absorbers for ride comfort.

The Veloster features sport-tuned electric power steering that adjusts instantly to changing driving conditions while improving fuel economy over a conventional steering system. A quick-ratio steering rack is used for crisp feel on turn-in.

As one would expect from a sporty hatch back such as the Veloster, the ride is firm without being harsh – with a suspension that has been tuned for excellent articulation and impressive road holding. It takes a lot to unsettle the suspension of the Veloster, and should it happen when the driving gets really spirited, the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) will act lightning fast to brake the relevant wheel or wheels to pull the car in line as an active safety measure.

Eco-credentials

By creating a low coupé profile and smooth contours, the vehicle’s aerodynamics have been enhanced to give it a drag coefficient of just 0,32 Cd. Further design features ensure that the Veloster is economical, such as a rear spoiler that reduces drag and improves stability, an aerodynamic flat engine bay floor and low rolling-resistance tyres.

Hyundai has continuously highlighted its commitment to lead the way along the road to long-term environmental sustainability for the auto industry, and Veloster furthers the company’s commitment to delivering economical and fun-to-drive models.

Safety

The latest active and passive safety technologies are used in the Veloster to ensure maximum occupant safety at all times.  These safety features deploy under all conditions and road surfaces. Active safety features include Vehicle Stability Management; Active Yaw Control; Electronic Stability Programme (ESP); an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS); and Electronic Brake Distribution.

The Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) system is designed to stabilize the vehicle in situations that are believed to be critical during cornering maneuvers. It checks where you are steering and where the vehicle is actually going by an accelerometer sensor installed in the center of the car near the gear selector lever.

The ESP works as an active system, meaning that it does actions that are not directly required by the driver, to correct what is assumed to be a driver mistake. It applies the brakes at individual wheels and intervenes in the engine management system to stabilize the vehicle, for instance in a potential accident situation where the driver might panic and lose control of the car.

Passive safety features in the Veloster include six airbags –– a driver and passenger airbag, curtain airbags and side airbags –– and a strengthened, rigid safety cell to protect occupants from serious injury in an accident.

As with other Hyundai models, the Veloster has performed admirably in safety crash tests, and has been awarded with a maximum rating of five stars in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). The Veloster scored 96% in the Adult Occupant test category and 89% in the Child Occupant category – beating the Euro NCAP test performances of its main competitors.

Pricing

Hyundai’s 5 year/150 000 km warranty and roadside assistance forms part of the Veloster package, supplemented by a 5 year/90 000 km service plan. Services are done at intervals of 15 000 km. The new Hyundai Veloster is launched with the following prices:

Hyundai Veloster technical specifications in brief